Hi sittingDuck,
Welcome to the club that no one wants to be a member of.
I'm so sorry to hear about the possibility of Lyme. And, yes, the Elisa test is pretty much a worthless diagnostic tool, you're right. An equivocal finding on an Elisa test would be considered a positive test by Lyme Literate doctors, I believe.
The Western Blot test from Igenex is the test of choice.
Lyme is epidemic in the United States and also in other countries. It has been found in every State in the US.
I can't stress enough how important it is to see a Lyme Literate Medical doctor for diagnosis/treatment. Seeing anyone else can set a Lyme patient up for a lifetime of problems. I'm not exaggerating here.
Do you have an LLMD? Alot of Lyme patients end up having to travel long distances to find help and treatment. LLMD's are in short supply at the moment.
I've posted a bunch of articles/videos/resources in the Lyme Disease Forum of this website.
http://herballure.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=67&page=1I've been diagnosed with Complicated Lyme Disease/Bartonella/Babesia/Erhlichia/Mycoplasmas. Not an uncommon occurrence in people with Lyme diagnoses, actually. Most people are getting infected with more than just the borrelia/Lyme pathogen when they contract Lyme.
I was ill 11 years before I finally had my answer. My symptoms weren't especially incapacitating in the beginning. It wasn't until I became quite ill and incapacitated that I started seriously trying to rule out possibilities.
Like you, I had to use process of elimination. It wasn't until I sought the help of a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) that I was able to get the proper testing and interpretation of said testing to confirm Lyme.
I've been in treatment for 6 months now. Treatment is rough but I'm progressing, albeit slowly.
I don't know if you've been feeling well enough to do a bunch of reading and such. If you've not been able to do so and would like some resources for learning more, just let me know. I can recommend some very good books and some additional online resources that I haven't had a chance to post to the Lyme Disease Forum yet.
I wish you all the best. And good for you for being persistent in finding answers for to your health! And let me know if you need more info.
Hugs,
SomedaySoon
p.s. There are quite a few members here who have discovered that they have Lyme Disease as well. I don't think they're posting much though, if at all.
